Not What It Seems
by SkyGem
Summary: Scoring a job with the Vongola right out of university is a dream come true for most. But for one newcomer, it quickly becomes a nightmare when they figure out the true company they work for. Same summary challenge fic with Bleach-ed-Na-tsu. Summary courtesy of Rahxe1182.


Summary: Scoring a job with the Vongola right out of university is a dream come true for most. But for one newcomer, it quickly becomes a nightmare when they figure out the true company they work for.

SkyGem: Hey guys! So, the last time Bleach-ed-Na-tsu and I did a challenge where we had the same summaries for our fics but didn't know anything else about them, we had lots of fun, so we decided to do it again! I really do hope you enjoy this fic, and please do go check out hers after you read this, if you haven't already! I'm sure it'll be amazing! This plot bunny was given to us by the lovely and talented Rahxe1182!

* * *

Guilia Spada sat stiffly in her chair, trying to ignore the rapid _thump thump thump_ of her heart slamming against her rib cage.

She had been sitting in this damn waiting room for the past twenty minutes, and was beginning to wonder if perhaps she'd gotten the time and date wrong.

Had the man really meant this Monday? What if he had meant the next? What if he hadn't even said Monday, but Friday or something?

Guilia had been so flustered to hear that she had gotten a job working for _Vongola,_ of all things, that she maybe had not been listening as closely as she probably should have been.

She had just decided that she would leave if no one came to greet her in ten minutes, when the secretary at the other end of the room snuck a glance at her for the fourth time since she had gotten there.

Feeling self-conscious, Guilia ran her hand down her skirt, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles and feeling grateful once again that she had the kind of figure that looked good in a skirt suit – she needed to make a good impression.

Trying to distract herself, she looked around at impressive waiting area she was in.

The walls were a soft, pastel yellow, and combined with the large, floor to ceiling windows to her right, they gave the room a light, airy feeling.

There were a few coffee tables arranged around the room, with soft, vivid red sofas accompanying them, one of which Guilia was sitting on at the moment. There were healthy green plants hanging from the walls as decoration, and there was one secretary sitting behind a desk on the other end of the room, tapping away at her keyboard whenever she wasn't indulging in her newfound hobby – staring at Guilia.

In fact, she was doing just that when the door a few feet from her desk finally swung open, and a man stepped out.

When she saw who it was, the startled secretary immediately turned back to her computer, tapping furiously at her keyboard and looking hard at work.

The man, for his part, wasn't paying her a bit of attention.

In fact, he was talking on his phone, his serious, business-like tone completely at odds with the jeans an t-shirt he was currently sporting.

"-it all under control," he was saying as the door swung closed behind him. "That's right, boss. Yes, I know. Spanner is on it right this moment. Yeah. Okay, I've gotta go now. I have someone waiting for me."

Guilia watched on in curiosity as the young man listened to the person in the other side for a moment, his eyes trained absently on the ceiling.

Then, a fond smile softened his features.

"Got it, boss. I'll see you later."

He hung up then, slipping his phone in his pocket.

And when he turned to her, Guilia was surprised to see that he wasn't all that much older than her.

He had unruly orange hair, and wide brown eyes that hid behind his large glasses. His cheeks were round and soft, with a bit of baby fat still clinging on, making him look even younger.

He looked to be Japanese, but Guilia thought she saw some European in the curve of his jaw and the arch of his cheekbones. And of course the colour of his hair.

"Are you Ms. Spada?" he asked with a smile, and Guilia jumped to her feet with a nod, holding her hand out for a hand shake.

His grip was firm, and as he led her through though the door, he apologized for his lateness (it turned out Guilia had been on time after all), explaining that they'd been dealing with a nasty cyber-attack on their servers all morning, and he had lost track of time.

And then, once he had finally finished apologizing, he introduced himself, saying, "By the way, I'm Shoichi Irie, head of the IT department."

"What?" yelped Guilia, turning to stare at him with wide eyes. "H-head?" she squeaked. "B-but..."

He chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm 22," he said, anticipating her question. And the ones after it.

"I guess you could say I'm a "child genius"?" he said, seeming unsure of himself as a bright blush spread across his face. "Graduated university at nineteen and all that. It's not really all that interesting."

Guilia wanted to protest that it was most _definitely_ very interesting, but she let the topic slide, as it was obvious her now boss was a bit embarrassed.

Although, speaking of bosses...

"If you're the Head," she said, "Then who were you talking to on the phone earlier? You called them boss...?"

He seemed to consider her for a moment, his head tilted to the side, before a sly smile crossed his face.

"I was talking to the Big Boss, actually."

There was a moment of silence then, and Guilia's eyes widened.

"The _Big Boss_?" she asked. "You can't mean..."

And Shoichi nodded.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada. The CEO. The head honcho. Don Vongola himself," he said, his smile privately amused when he said that last phrase. "He's a close friend, you see. Wanna meet him?"

Guilia stuttered for a few moments, unable to reply.

It was obvious he was teasing her. But this wasn't a chance that came up every day, and if there was even a chance he was being serious, it was worth the potential embarrassment.

And so, after a few moments of trying to remember how to talk, she blurted out, "Please!"

Shoichi's eyebrows rose, obviously not having expected her to accept.

But then he smiled wide.

"You've got guts. I like that. Unfortunately, Boss is pretty busy, so I can't get you a meeting with him right away. But work hard, and I'll see what I can do."

Pleasure blooming in her chest, Guilia smiled wide.

"Yes sir!" she answered, giving him a mock salute that prompted a chuckle from the younger man.

* * *

Over the following week, Guilia relaxed into her work, and she quickly learned that, despite being one of the most successful companies in Italy (and arguably the world), the Vongola IT department was a pretty laidback place.

Though not quite as casual as their Head (who always seemed to wear the same pair of jeans, and just cycled through many different band shirts and graphic tees with programming jokes on them), most of the employees just showed up to work in slacks and at least moderately nice shirts.

In fact, Guilia's suit had earned her some good-natured teasing and knowing looks from her co-workers on the first day, and one or two of them mentioned that she would be so much happier if she just wore something more comfortable.

So she did.

As expected, most of her work in that first week consisted of menial tasks, and Guilia was under the impression that she was just another normal newbie, another unremarkable face in the crowd.

That is, until the day Shoichi came around to check up on her while she was talking to the guy in the cubicle next to hers.

He seemed pleased with what he saw, though he didn't stay long, bowing out with the excuse that he was on his way to a meeting.

And as soon as he was out of earshot, Alexi, the guy she had been talking to, commented, "I didn't know you were close with Mr. Irie?"

Guilia turned her eyes to him, confused.

"I'm not really?" she asked, slightly bewildered. "This was actually the first time I'd talked to him since he greeted me on my first day."

"Well, you must've caught his attention somehow. He doesn't go around checking up on all the new employees, you know."

Guilia thought back, trying to remember.

Shrugging, she said, "Nothing's coming to mind."

Alexi regarded her for a few moments, his dark green eyes inquisitive.

Then, his eyes darting around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, he leaned sideways towards her slightly, still facing his computer.

"Just between you and me," he said, "You might want to be careful around that guy."

Curious, Guilia leaned over slightly as well, making sure to keep her eyes on the computer as she nudged her chair towards Alexi's.

"How come?" she asked, her voice hushed. "He seems pretty nice."

"Yeah, but haven't you heard the rumours? They're saying he has connections to the mafia."

Startled, Guilia turned to face him, only to find his face just inches from hers.

Letting out a startled yelp, she pulled back, a flush creeping up her cheeks.

Some of the people around them turned to look, amused chuckles erupting and whispers about "office romance" and "puppy love."

Before long though, they turned back to their work, forgetting about her completely, and she leaned back towards Alexi, who also look a bit embarrassed.

"Really?" she asked, and he hummed an affirmative.

"How else do you think he got to that position at such a young age?"

Guilia didn't answer, and they stopped the conversation there, instead returning to their work, but Guilia couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the day.

And every once in a while, when Shoichi came to check her work after that (twice in the next week), that conversation would resurface in Guilia's mind, and she would push it aside with a slight laugh. There was no way her sweet, dorky, friendly boss could be in the mafia.

* * *

A week and a half after that conversation with Alexi, a department-wide email was sent out, informing everyone to come to work in business formal attire the next day.

Guilia, who hadn't heard about anything like this in the weeks she had been working there, did as told, showing up to work in a smart grey pantsuit.

And although she had been expecting it, it was still strange to see all her co-workers dressed so formally.

The air in the building was tense, and all the friendly chatter and easygoing atmosphere had been replaced with busy office noises, with everyone intent on their work.

"What's going on today?" Guilia asked Alexi as she walked over to her desk.

He was already seated in front of his computer, his fingers moving lightning-fast, though he stopped when she approached, and smiled up at her. They'd been getting closer over the past week, and Guilia had started tentatively hoping that there might be something for them in the future.

"It seems some important people are visiting today," he said, his shoulders tense.

"How important?" asked Guilia, sitting down and turning on her computer.

And Alexi shrugged.

"We haven't been told, but they must be really high up if they're having us all dress up. Mr. Irie passed through earlier, and even he was wearing a suit."

"Really?" asked Guilia, her voice disbelieving. She couldn't even imagine what their laidback, super-casual Head would look like in formal attire. Even though logic told her otherwise, there was a part of her brain that stubbornly refused to believe he ever wore anything other jeans and a t-shirt.

But true to Alexi's words, Shoichi passed through about an hour later, and Guilia had to admit, she couldn't take her eyes off him.

He was wearing a very obviously expensive suit that seemed to be tailor-made to fit the contours of his body. His usually messy hair was combed neatly back, and he'd exchanged his usual large, blue, thick-framed (hipster) glasses for a sleek, rectangular pair.

He seemed like a completely different person from their usual, friendly boss, and for a second, for a fraction of a second, Guilia thought he looked like he really could be in the mafia.

But then he caught her look and threw his usual dorky smile her way, and the spell was broken.

Guilia paused to smile back at him and give a friendly wave before returning to his work.

As he turned away, his expression became serious, and Guilia thought he must be going to greet the important guests that they'd all dressed up for.

Over the next ten minutes, the tension in the room ratcheted up as they all waited to see who was coming, and when they finally heart the telltale footsteps, Guilia had to fight not to turn her head.

There was a murmured conversation, and from the many voices, she knew there at least had to be three or four guests.

She was expecting them all to pass right through to the meeting rooms beyond, but then they stopped, and the sinking feeling in her gut told her, against all logic, that it was because of her.

And then, Shoichi's familiar voice rang out.

"Mr DeRege. Ms Spada. Would you two please join us?"

His voice was pleasant, but when she turned to meet his eyes, he looked dead serious, his lips drawn downwards into a frown – the expression seemed alien on his always smiling face, and it sent a shiver of unease through her.

Wondering what they could possibly want with her and Alexi, she stood up on shaky legs and started heading towards them.

The man standing next to Shoichi looked to be about the same age as him, but the expression in his solemn brown eyes was centuries old. His soft brown hair was unruly, but it suited him, and complemented his boyish face. He was wearing a pinstriped grey suit that fit perfectly on him.

Standing to his other side was a young boy, perhaps about thirteen, with curly black hair and wide green eyes that seemed to stare right through a person. He was dressed just as smartly as his companions, and carried himself with a grace that Guilia envied.

And walking behind them were two men deep in conversation, and they were perhaps the most startling of all.

Although dressed immaculately, they both had unnaturally coloured hair (one with shoulder-length silver hair and the other with waist-length, deep blue hair) tied back in neat ponytails and yet, they still managed to project an air of power, of calm stability.

They didn't look up as Guilia and Alexi approached, and as the group started walking, she noticed that they were speaking in a different language.

Japanese, probably.

She didn't have long to dwell on this, as they soon arrived at a meeting room.

Her gut clenched as she realized it was one of the few that didn't have any of the floor-to-ceiling windows that were so popular in this building.

And even though it was well-kept, there was an air of disuse about it, leading Guilia to believe that it was reserved solely for meetings with the brown-haired man who seemed to be the most powerful of their visitors.

The way he walked over to sit in the plush, high-backed chair behind the ornate wooden desk on the other side of the room, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, seemed to back up her theory.

Shoichi moved to stand at his side, looking forbidding, and the young teenager stood at the man's other side.

Guilia could hear the door close behind them, and the two remaining men took up positions behind them, on either side of the door.

She and Alexi stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do, as there were no other chairs in the room.

And then, finally, the brown-haired man spoke up.

"Guilia Spada," he said, turning those ancient eyes on her, and she thought she saw them flash gold for just a fraction of a second.

"Yes sir?" she replied, standing at attention.

"How long have you been working here?"

Guilia hesitated.

Who on Earth was this guy? And why was he asking her this?

Her eyes flicked over to Shoichi, and when he gave her a barely perceptible nod, she answered, "Almost three weeks now, sir."

The man nodded, and she expected him to ask Alexi the same thing, but he didn't even look towards her co-worker.

"Shoichi here tells me you've been doing a good job," the man said, his expression softening slightly, and Guilia couldn't help but wonder, for a fleeting moment, what he would look like if he smiled. She thought a smile would suit his face.

"Thank you, sir," she said, hoping her voice didn't sound as breathless as she felt.

"However, he's been somewhat...concerned lately, about your relationship with Mr. DeRege here."

Suddenly, she felt Alexi stiffen beside her, and she couldn't help but wonder what any of this had to do with...anything.

When she didn't answer, the brown-haired man's eyebrow rose.

"Has Mr. DeRege said anything...strange to you?" he asked, and Guilia felt her heart speed up. Because she knew exactly what he was asking, and there was a part of her that wanted to deny it, to protect her friend from this man she didn't even know.

But there was something about the brown-haired man, something warm, something that made her not want to lie to him.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out, and she had to try a few more times before she could finally say it.

"He said that Mr. Irie has connections to the mafia," she blurted out, and the effect was immediate.

The brown-haired man's face crumpled into something like sadness, and Shoichi's eyes widened slightly.

Before she could ask what was going on though, there was a rush of movement from beside her, and next thing she knew, she found herself pressed back against someone's chest, a knife pressed to her throat.

"That was a lot faster than I'd expected," said Alexi's voice from somewhere near her ear, and Guilia, completely bewildered, felt a sudden, all-consuming fear choke all the air out of her.

The brown-haired man hadn't moved from where he was sitting, but his eyebrows were drawn downward into a frown.

"Don't be rash, Mr. DeRege," he said, his voice calm. "Let Ms. Spada go, and you will be able to keep your life."

This drew out a sharp bark of laughter from Alexi, and Guilia shrunk in on herself, wondering were her friendly co-worker had gone.

"Do you take me for a fool, Don Vongola?" he bit out, and for just a second, Guilia forgot her fear.

Because how on Earth could she not have realized that the man behind the desk, the young man eyes that were centuries old, was Tsunayoshi Sawada?

"I haven't forgotten the men behind us, guarding the door. As soon as I let her go, you'll have one of your little guardians kill me!"

"I won't," said Tsunayoshi, patting the air in a placating gesture. "I promise. Just let her go, and we can discuss this like business men."

"I don't think so," replied Alexi, his voice silken, and Guilia felt the knife press closer to her neck, almost hard enough to draw blood.

She turned her eyes on Shoichi, not even able to see him properly through her tears, her eyes pleading.

"You're the one that nearly succeeded in hacking into the Vongola servers a few weeks ago, aren't you?" asked Tsunayoshi, and Guilia's eyes widened as she remembered the reason Shoichi had been late in greeting her on her first day of work. "You're obviously very talented with computers. We could always use someone with your-"

"YOU'RE LYING!" he yelled, cutting Tsunayoshi off. "And even if you weren't, there's no way I could work for you! _**He**_ wouldn't let me escape."

Tsunayoshi's eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"I don't know who _**he**_ is, but I assure you, you would be safe with us."

But Alexi was already backing up, shaking his head.

"There's no escape for me," he said, his voice starting to sound just a little crazy.

Tsunayoshi's face crumpled again, that same sad expression from before.

And before Guilia could wonder as to the reason for it, there was a gasp from behind her, and the hold on her loosened.

Taking her chance, she knocked Alexi's hand away and stumbled forward, reaching out for Shoichi, who grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.

It was strange, being embraced by a man she didn't even know all that well, especially when he didn't even look all that much like himself, but she needed the comfort, especially when she turned to see Alexi on the floor, his eyes rolled back into his head, his body twitching occasionally.

The blue-haired man was standing over him, completely enveloped in indigo flames, staring at him with a frightening intensity.

"Don't look," whispered Shoichi, moving his hand to block her view. "You're safe now, Guilia."

And she turned her face into his chest, a sob tearing out of her throat.

She wasn't even sure what she was crying about.

Fear for what had almost happened just now?

Or sorrow, for the man she had thought that Alexi was, and the future she had hoped they might have together.

The men let her cry.

And when all her tears had run out, there was a soft hand on her shoulder, and a voice asking, "Are you alright now, signora?"

When she turned around, she saw Tsunayoshi standing there, holding out a handkerchief for her.

And though he still looked worried, she noticed that her earlier thought had been correct.

A smile really did suit Sawada Tsunayoshi's face.

* * *

SkyGem: Wow. That came out a LOT longer than I had expected. Anyways, I really hope you all enjoyed this, and please do leave a review and let me know what you thought!


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